The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Pixel-based graphics, more commonly known as bitmap graphics are made by the combination or blend of tiny pixels on a grid or lattice. The quality of a bitmap image depends largely on the density of the pixels, conventionally referred to as dots per inch (dpi) or pixels per inch (ppi). Generally, the higher the density, the better quality of the image. Pixel-based graphics do not, however, behave desirably when scaled to a larger size. Particularly, scaling up results in a distorted and/or splotchy image of poor quality.
Vector graphics use geometrical primitives, such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygons to represent images having a basis in mathematical expressions or functions. Unlike pixel graphics, vector graphics are more easily scalable to any size without losing quality, since the image changes size through geometrical equations.
In present times, where electronic and mobile devices are becoming the norm, and more and more day-to-day tasks, such as but not limited to, note-taking, typing, sketching, etc. are being performed via mobile, handheld, electronic devices, there has been an increased need for quality zooming functionality in order to fully take advantage of the capabilities of such relatively smaller-screened handheld electronic devices. However, where pixel graphics are utilized, such zooming causes the images to scale poorly, resulting in distorted and/or splotchy images of poor quality. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for vector texturing for free-form drawing. Particularly, there is a need for applying a vector texture to free-form drawing, writing, etc., that can be utilized, for example, in web-based and mobile-based applications operating on electronic and mobile devices. More particularly, there is a need for rendering a vector texture to touch-based, free-form drawing, writing, etc., such as but not limited to, the free-form drawing that may be performed on a mobile, handheld, electronic device using the user's finger(s), a stylus, or other like writing tool, that may be scaled substantially without distortion.